Space Film Contest For New Mexico Residents

SANTA FE--- Residents of New Mexico have the opportunity to enter a filmmaking contest in which the winner receives $5,000 to produce a short film about human space exploration. The New Mexico Film Foundation, and space industry experts including astronaut Bruce McCandless II, the first person to walk in space un-tethered to a space vehicle, will evaluate the submissions and choose a winner.

“New Mexico has always been on the cutting edge of space exploration, and involved in the development of America’s Space Program,” said New Mexico Film Foundation President Dirk Norris. “I believe the stories New Mexico filmmakers tell about this exciting topic will be inspiring to everyone who sees them.”

Sponsoring the contest is Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor building Orion, NASA’s next generation spacecraft for human exploration of deep space. Orion’s first test flight, Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), will occur this year, sending Orion 3,600 miles beyond low Earth orbit, and returning at a speed of approximately 20,000 mph for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. EFT-1 will provide engineers with data about systems critical to crew safety in order to validate spacecraft designs before it begins carrying humans to new destinations in deep space. Lockheed Martin will share the winning film as part of its EFT-1 public outreach.

The submission process will begin on July 15 and close on August 15. The winning selection will be announced on August 29. You must be a New Mexico resident to apply. The winning filmmaker will work with Lockheed Martin to complete their film no later than November 15.